When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? 

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know… 

The City of Bones is a novel I pondered reading for a long time; I was hesitant to read this book – just like I was reluctant to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Gone Girl – because this book had amassed a hype that was enormous. I was worried that this book would disappoint me and not live up to my expectations because this is a real possibility with ‘media frenzy books.’ However! Upon finishing the City of Bones, all I could think was “wow, now this is an incredible fantasy read!”. I loved this incredible book and it most certainly exceeded my expectations. Unlike some books, this novel was worth the hype, and so I am so proud to write that I am one of the many legions of fans of Cassandra Clare and a proud Shadowhunter! I am in awe of Clare and the beautiful world which she has created so if you like I was, are hesitant to read this book then take a chance because you will not be disappointed! For those of you that do not know I am going to write a brief synopsis of the book for you lovely readers.

City of Bones tells the tale of an ordinary teenage girl named Clary Fray (can we please appreciate how beautiful this name is?!) who suddenly has a Sight to see things that others cannot. Clary is a special woman who has been blessed – some would say cursed – with an ability to see Demons, Vampires, Werewolves, Warlocks and much more demonic creatures. Clary is a young woman who has been thrust into a world that is beyond her wildest imagination. She at first does not know what part she has to play in this mystical parallel world, but when her mother is attacked and kidnapped, Clary is forced to remember a past as well as secrets that have previously been hidden from her. This is a very brief synopsis of this extraordinary tale, but if you are a reader who loves to know more about stories, then please read further to learn more about the plot of this story!

Our novel begins with our fifteen-year-old protagonist Clary Fray as she goes to the Pandemonium Club with her best friend, Simon Lewis. Inside the club, she sees a blue-haired boy and a black haired girl sneak into a storeroom, pursued by two other boys. One of these boys is armed with what appears to be a knife and thinking something terrible is about to happen, she soon sends Simon for help. Clary, however, is an impulsive character and she can’t wait, so she follows the mysterious group into the storeroom. Once inside this storeroom, she witnesses the blue-haired ‘boy’ being attacked and then murdered, but when she observes him being killed, he seems to vanish from the room. Clary soon gets caught looking, and she is told by one of the people in the room that “demons return to their home dimensions when they die.”
Simon soon enters the storeroom with the clubs bouncer in tow, and for some unknown reason, Simon, as well as the bouncer cannot see anybody, and when Clary realizes this, she mumbles an apology and soon leaves confused and shook up.

When Clary returns home she does so to the scolding of her mother, Jocelyn. Clary shrugs this off, but the next day Jocelyn announces to Clary that they are moving away from New York City to the country for the summer where Jocelyn’s best friend, Luke, has a home. Clary is furious and upset by this unexpected move and soon confides in Simon that she is angry as well as confused by the fact that she knows nothing about her mother or her entire family, she describes how her life is almost like a mystery and that she is sick of it.

Simon consoles Clary, and soon they go to a poetry reading. However, when Clary arrives she happens to see one of the boys who were at the club – who we later find out is called Jace. Clary confronts Jace angrily but after calming down, Jace tells Clary all about demon-hunters called Shadowhunters or Nephilim. Jace has a bold claim, and this is that Clary is not a mundane (ordinary human). This is a lot to take in for Clary but to make matters worse, she gets a call from Jocelyn who is in a frantic panic who tells Clary not to come home and to let Luke know that ‘he’ has found her. Then the phone call ends abruptly and ignoring her mother’s wishes; she races home to help her mother only to find her house in disarray with her mother gone. To make matters even worse, Clary is attacked by a demon but soon kills him thanks to the use of Jace’s sensor. After this traumatic event, Jace whisks Clary off to the ‘Institute’; the local headquarters of Shadowhunters.

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At this point in my review, I think I should stop discussing the plot because I am getting carried away… this is what this novel does to you, it takes over and makes you want to talk about this book non stop! What I will tell you book lovers is that the rest of this novel becomes a thrilling adventure in which Clary must find her mother, find the mysterious Mortal Cup and discover her true self.

Personally, I do not read much Young Adult, why? I do not know but what I do know now is that I need to read more of it! If YA novels are like this, then I am missing out because this book is brilliant! I never understood the love of YA before I read it but now I understand perfectly; they make for enjoyable, light, lovely reads that readers can pick up and quickly get lost in so I will definitely be reading more Young Adult books!

It has been a long time since I have read a fantasy novel and I have to admit that I have missed the genre dearly! I absolutely loved being in this magical world full of mysterious, sometimes terrifying creatures and enchanting people. Oh, and who can forget that I loved being in a book full of incredible Shadowhunters! All of this made this fantasy read perfectly; I was I pure heaven as I read this book as the author allowed me to imagine all the wondrous things perfectly!

Cassandra Clare’s is a magnificent writer whose words were captivating as well as addictive. I was surprised by how well developed this story was, it may be a YA novel but it has mature themes. These incredible themes combined with Clare’s intelligent and savvy writing, combined again with excellent action sequences meant that I was kept on the edge of my seat from beginning to end!

The characters in this novel were superb, and it would be a crime not to write about the host of diverse, and brilliantly created characters the reader comes across in this book. Each character in this spell-binding novel had something unique and special about them, and I found this to be mesmerizing. The characters the reader comes across in this book are ambitious, and I was thrilled with this. I am thrilled that the characters are ambitious because the story is ambitious, Clare is an author who loves to take risks… this is wonderful because it shows she is brave and unafraid.

I found the protagonist of the story, Clary Fray to be an adorable, sweet girl but do not let this fool you as she is a young woman who can pack a punch! She is a character who keeps developing and evolving throughout; there were times when I was shocked by her changes of attitude. For example, Clary can in one moment be a sweet and innocent woman only to be quick-tempered, and fiery in the next and I have to say, I found myself applauding her fierceness! It was delightful to read a novel in which a strong female protagonist is prominent, plus, she is a redhead like me so how can I not love her!

The other main character in this story is Jace, Jace is a character who surprised me and delighted me. I had heard many things about Jace before I read this novel and what I heard was not great. I thought that he was going to be a jerk, but I was delighted when I found out that he was not like this at all! He is a fun character who brought some much-needed humor to the novel. Besides, he and Simon were the perfect comedy duo, and they had me laughing frequently.

Overall, the City of Bones is an enchanting fantasy novel which is full of action, adventure and sprinkles of humor. The imagery in this book is quite simply stunning, and as you read the descriptions of this mind-bending world, your brain will visualize every part because the writing is so beautiful. I adored every part of this novel, the story, the plot, the world, the characters, everything! If you have a taste for fantasy, then I would recommend this book because it is brilliant! This wonderful book gets Four Stars from me.

As always thank you so much for reading book lovers! Comment below all those wonderful thoughts of yours and let me know whether you have read the novel or if you would like to! Also, for the people who have read the novel could you please tell me whether it is worth continuing the series? I have heard that it is not so great from this point onward’s so please let me know fellow book lovers!

Amazon U.K. / Goodreads / Book Depository / Publisher; Walker

Mini Movie Review

The movie adaption of this incredible book is a brilliant movie, however! I do not believe it lived up to the book. I adored the casting and thought the set design and costumes were beautiful, but for me, the directors left out too many parts of the original story. What did you think of the movie book lovers? I would love to know! Thank you so much again for reading!

Thank you so much again for reading book lovers!